So I just got a shiny new Xbox 360 and I finally jumped onto XB Live. I have been downloading demos like a madman. So Saturday I downloaded Tony Hwk's Project 8 and WWE SD vs. Raw 07. Here are my thoughts so far.

Tony Hawk Project 8:

Graphics are pretty solid. Not as spectacular as some 360 games, but solid. The animations are silky smooth though. the control is pretty much the same as any other Tony Hawk game, with one exception. You can now get big are and go into a slow motion mode where the analog sticks act as your feet. You can now have super control over your tricks. It takes soem time to get used to but it could wind up being the best innovation in the series since adding walking. The demo lets you play with no time limit in a skate park. Very similar to the old Tony Hawk 2 demo from the PS1 days.

WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 2007:

In a word...Wow. While the graphics could use some polish, and they still walk like stiffs, the control scheme has been completely revamped. You now do all your grappling with the Analog stick. they added different styles of grapples now. You can now drag your opponent to different "Hot Spots" i nthe ring and arena to do different things. Like smashing their head into the steps or usign the ropes to strangle them. It's so much more methodical, yet hectic. It feels much more natural than the old scheme. As forthe graphics, the character models are fantastic, with great lighting effects on them. However, long hair still looks kinda weak, and the arenas need some major spicing up. They look way too bland. In the demo you can play as HHH or Kane and they have tutorial videos to get you used to the new control scheme.

Haven't been a fan of te Hawk series since around #2, but I will have to download the demo and take a peek. As for WWE, I will more then likely be buying this one. I fell in love with the demo the second I played it. I was never really good at pressing 7 buttons to do a pin or something, so the moves mapped to the right stick is awesome.

I've barely stopped playing the Hawk demo and its new nail the trick feature. Its just so much fun and ads that element that you're actually doing the tricks instead of pressing a button. It feels so good (other than actually having to hold the sticks down which I've gotten used to) and I've yet to get frustrated like last games when I mess up using it.

Yup, to pin you simply move the right stick down. There are a few more things I'd love to see incorporated into this series eventually. Like chatter grunts and groans from the wrestlers during matches, or hearign the ref yell at wrestlers for breaking rules, etc. Something to help liven the audio up a bit. They made great strides last year in the audio department, such as adding the great cut scenes for the season mode. Alos, if they added actual injuries to the matches, like spraining your ankle will cause you to limp and lose power throughout the rest of the match, that would definately add to it. But the series last year and this year are back on the right track.

I played through the Tony Hawk demo once and it was great. Brought me back to when I played the crap out of 2/3 on the PSX.

As for WWE,I didnt enjoy it much at all. It felt like the other Smackdown games with new graphics. I havent really enjoyed a wrestling game since the N64 days anyway though so its not surprising on my part.

I havent tried out the Splinter Cell demo yet either. I got it the day it was released,then I saw it was multiplayer and havent even bothered. I wish they would just keep all demos single player so you can get a feeling for what the game is like without being demolished by more experienced players,lol

I havent tried out the Splinter Cell demo yet either. I got it the day it was released,then I saw it was multiplayer and havent even bothered. I wish they would just keep all demos single player so you can get a feeling for what the game is like without being demolished by more experienced players,lol

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Supposedly, the new multiplayer Splinter Cell has changed so much from the past-gen versions that even new players can pick it up and enjoy it. That's good news for me, cause I was always scared to try the old Splinter Cells on Live since I heard the learning curve was so steep.